Lazy days of summ----oh wait, it's not summer yet!

...but you'd never guess it wasn't summer yet if you were in Dallas on Saturday - it was 94 degrees and very humid. Gross! I feel sorry for Jenna Bush (no matter what you think of her father) because her OUTDOOR wedding was just a couple hours from here and it was soooo hot and sticky. But the weirdest thing is that the next day, Sunday, it was about 75, no humidity and beautiful. The weather here is bizarre - it can swing so much from day to day. Maybe that's why I have had 3 bad colds in 2 months. My immune system is sooooo messed up!

OK, this blog post will be a random mix of weird stuff......

One cool new business that I found recently (thanks to my co-worker Marie) is Massage Envy. It's a franchise brand of massage places that have massage plans that mimic tanning packages, cell phone plans, etc. Basically, you sign up to pay $49/month and you get 1 massage a month and anything beyond that 1 massage is only $39 (1-year contract)! I tried it once and it's a very nice place with soft lighting, relaxing music, clean and private rooms with super soft and comfortable bedding - just like a super fancy salon. My massage was great! I'm thinking of joining, but I'm just going to hold off through the summer and see how my air conditioning bills go. :) Check it out in your city - it was great!!

Random Texas Observations:

1. It is very hard to find lots of low-fat, low-calorie, low-sugar or fat-free food options in the grocery stores. I am going to Kroger here, just like in Ohio, so it's not that the brands or variations don't exist - I bought them in Ohio. I guess Texas people don't care about looking at labels and choosing better options for food....

2. When you drive around the suburbs here, you will see oil rigs - little ones that you might mistake for the center-tall-structure on the Tilt-A-Whirl or some other ride at Six Flags! The first few times I saw them, I honestly thought they were rides of some kind and I thought it was weird, but now I understand. And with gas prices the way they are, I don't understand why gas isn't SUPER cheap here in Texas since there's no transportation costs - we could just pull right up to these rigs and fill up! (Just kidding - I know it's more complicated than that, but a girl can fantasize....)

3. My new public library (Arlington Public Library system) has the most awesome check-out system! It's very techy and my library card actually has a gold square on it, indicating there's some sort of chip in it. When I am finished searching for good Books-on-CD for my commute, I proceed to the check-out area and I pass my card across this square pad (don't even have to scan a bar code!) Then I just pass my books/CDs across the same square pad and it just senses the item, beeps and then shows the item in your list on the screen. It's like the self-checkout at Kroger or Walmart - amazing and wonderful!!!

4. In Arlington, we have 2 garbage days per week - Tuesdays and Fridays. I've never heard of TWO garbage days! My only guess at an explanation is that in the summer it's sooooo hot that you want to get rid of garbage RIGHT AWAY because if it sits in the garage for more than a day, you will actually choke and die of the stench when you go out to your car. YUCK.

Anyway, I have been putting off blogging for the last few days because I have been crabby and frustrated and I didn't want to get on here and just puke my negativity on here. I'm not exactly sure why I'm crabby, but it may be that I'm just very frustrated with not knowing very many people yet and being lonely sometimes. I knew this would be difficult, so it's no shock to me and it certainly won't last too long, but sometimes you just need a hug from a friend or your Mom and that time is right now. Any and all e-hugs are welcome and very much needed and appreciated!! I love and miss you all very much - now come and visit me already!!!

PS - I 'temporarily' installed Maggie's doggy door myself last night and we practiced with treats and the step stools, but much to my dismay when I got home from work today, Maggie had pooped on the floor not 10 feet from the doggy door. Bad wiener dog. Bad wiener dog. She's keeping her distance right now - she knows she was a bad wiener today. Ugh.

PSS - T minus one week until I get my Texas license plates and drivers license!!!! YES!!!!!!!